DHAKA – For 115 days, Mohammad Shafiqul Islam was stranded on the high seas of the Persian Gulf, watching missiles light up the night sky and rationing food and water for his crew.

“I tried to stay calm because I was responsible for 31 lives, a ship worth $40 million, and cargo valued at $8.2 million,” the 51-year-old Bangladeshi mariner said back home after the ordeal.

Islam was the captain of the Banglar Joyjatra, a bulk carrier that had arrived in the Gulf a month before the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran in February.